Walmart Giving Bonuses to Employees in Response to Worsening Pandemic
Walmart is set to pay yet another bonus to employees as the COVID-19 pandemic worsens.
The upcoming bonus will be the fourth the retail giant has paid to employees since the spring. On December 24, Walmart will issue bonuses of $300 to full-time hourly employees and $150 to part-time and temporary employees.
Taking the latest bonus into account, Walmart will have paid a total of $2.8 billion in bonuses to its hourly employees, including regular quarterly and special bonuses. Walmart had been giving out quarterly bonuses prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Approximately 1.5 million Walmart and Sam’s Club employees are eligible to receive the special bones.
John Furner, president and CEO of Walmart U.S., expressed his gratitude toward employees, according to CNBC:
As we come to a close on this historic year, I’m filled with gratitude for how our associates have led through one of the most trying periods for our company and country.
The company has also extended its COVID-19 emergency leave policy to July as cases continue to rise in the United States.
The news comes in the wake of the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Robert Redfield, warning that the coming months could be among “the most difficult in the public health history of this nation.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced yesterday that Texas is expected to receive 1.4 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in the next two weeks, with more allotments possibly being available later this month. Increased allotments are expected in January.